Star Showers
by Taminus
Summary: Fluffy One Shot. After their space adventure, Ruby and Sapphire spend some time together.


"And the winner of the Pokemon Contest Spectacular is... Ruby and Sapphire!"

The roar of the crowd was deafening. The duo was still catching their breath after their last performance. They had showered the crown in a Diamond Dust from Ruby's newly acquired friend Diancie in combination with Pilo's whirlwind to end the show and fortunately it had been just the move they needed to snag victory. The host of the contest came down to the stage with not only a trophy in hand but also several rainbow colored ribbons.

"Congratulations you two! You put on a spectacular show and you and your pokemon ought to be proud of yourselves!" Ruby simply smirked as he chuckled.

"Of course. It was one of my shows. They are always beautiful and spectacular." He said under his breath. Unfortunately, Sapphire's hearing is quite exceptional and she elbowed him hard in the ribs.

"Our show, ya mean?" she whispered back. The host didn't notice their interaction and began to adorn their pokemon with the ribbons as well as hand Ruby the trophy.

"It is my pleasure to reward you two with the Aurora Ribbons as well as the Pokemon Contest Spectacular Trophy! Do you have any words for you audience?" The host looked expectantly at the both of them as Sapphire shifted in her costume. While she had gotten a lot more used to wearing, and very much enjoying, the clothes that Ruby made for her, this was definitely a lot more feminine. While she wasn't terribly uncomfortable showing off in them, she still was very shy when it came to these kinds of interactions.

Ruby quickly snatched the microphone from the host and gave a light cough into his hand to clear his throat.

"I hope you all enjoyed our performance. Aren't all of our pokemon and costumes simply beautiful?" The crowd cheered and Sapphire sweat dropped. He continued. "Only two days ago were we under stress from the giant meteorite that was looming over our planet. I've had a lot of time to think during that whole event and its made me appreciate what I do a lot more. I am happy to be where I am and I want to thank you all for being here," With that, Ruby handed the microphone back to the host as he motioned to Sapphire to follow him off stage.

That was a lot more real than Sapphire expected. Ruby was very well known for his over the top and extravagant behavior when it came to showing off, but this side of him was rarely shown, even to the girl herself. She definitely didn't mind it though. It was refreshing for him to be honest instead of putting up a front every time he interacted with people.

As they approached the dressing rooms, Lisia appeared in front of the two almost out of thin air.

"Ruby!" she quickly clung to his arm. "That was so amazing! I've never seen something so fabulous in my life, and I can't believe you made me think that you were going to quit contests for good." she began crying as a small child who didn't have it her way. "You are so mean!" Ruby struggled to stay on his feet during the whole interaction, as Lisia kept pushing and pulling on his arm.

"Thank you, but I don't need you to tell me it was amazing," the boy quickly put on his glasses and they gave off a shine, "I already knew it was going to be." Sapphire felt a vein almost pop in her forehead as she witnessed the scene in front of her. Why did this always happen? She felt not only out of place, but extreme anger towards the contest girl. Who did she think she was, almost tackling Ruby like that?

"Oh! You're right once again Ruby!" Lisia squealed. She was starting to drag him forward, away from the conqueror. "You've got to come to the after party! You are the star after all!" She said in a sing song voice. That did it. Sapphire felt her fist clench. Hard. She was going to give this girl a piece of her mind for not only messing with Ruby, but also pretending like she wasn't there or part of the performance at all. Right as she was about to take a step forward however, Ruby stopped Lisia in her tracks.

"Sorry Lisia, but I believe both of us did so well, that we need to take some time to rest." He quickly retracted his arm from the contest girls grip and walked back towards Sapphire. Lisia only made a pouty face before springing back into her usual step.

"Well, alrighty! I guess I'll see you next time!" She then skipped away down the hall, likely to complain to her manager.

"Can ya believe her? It was almost like I was a ghost or somethin' the way she ignored me," Sapphire puffed her cheeks out. Ruby simply chuckled and went for the mens dressing room.

"Let's get changed. We gotta meet up with Steven so Diancie can get to Kalos," Sapphire nodded and and pulled at the frills of her skirt.

"I'm glad to be gettin' out of this. Definitely not my favorite thin' to wear." Ruby looked back and cocked his head to the side, almost in a teasing manner.

"Really? That's too bad. I think you look amazing wearing it," he said as he turned around to close the door to the dressing room. Sapphire felt her cheeks warm up at the compliment as she pulled her hands up to her chest. She always got embarrassed quickly, but after she had come to terms with her feelings for The Charmer, Sapphire had appreciated his compliments more and more. It warmed her heart to hear the things he said about her, even if he was just teasing her. It also helped with the girls self-esteem issues. She hadn't let anyone on to it, but she did let her mind be her greatest enemy at times. With these thoughts in mind, she went to change.

…

They both met up with Steven in the entrance to the contest hall, long after all of the spectators had left. The ex-Champion gave a smile as he saw the two dex holders approaching him.

"I must first say, incredible show you two. It was truly one of the most thrilling contests I've ever had the pleasure of watching!" Both of them smiled at the compliment. Ruby then produced the pokeball that Diancie was temporarily in and handed it to Steven.

"Make sure you take good care of her alright? I want to be able to see her again." Steven simply nodded as he let the gem pokemon out. Diancie swirled around the air and flew right up to Ruby as to say goodbye.

"Our boat for Kalos leaves later tonight. I'll be sure to contact you on any developments and discoveries made while Diancie here travels through Kalos. After that I'm sure Diancie would want to see you again as well." The gem pokemon cheered in agreement.

"Well ya better get a move on then. Don't wanna miss your boat." Sapphire said as she pet the creature. Steven and Diancie both nodded and turned to leave.

"We'll be off then. Ruby. Sapphire. Once again let me express my utmost gratitude for your heroism in stopping the meteor. I'm truly privileged to know such great individuals." With a short bow, he exited the contest hall, leaving the two Dex holders to themselves. Looking around the contest hall, there weren't many people still here but the trickling of other contestants could be seen heading towards the Lilicove Center to attend to Contest party. Sapphire noticed Ruby's eyes trailing the people that were heading over there, many of them wearing fancy dress. The blue eyed girl looked at the extravagant dresses the girls were wearing and felt a twinge in her chest. Trying to dispel her discomfort she tapped the boy on the shoulder.

"Hey, we should get goin'. Your Ma' wanted to make dinner for us since they haven't really seen us since before the stuff we did, and to celebrate the Contest." Ruby shook out of his trance at watching the craftsmanship of the dresses and turned to the doors.

"Right you are Sapph. Let's get going."

…

They both arrived back in Littleroot shortly after, right before the sun began to set in the sky. The dex holders got off of Pilo and entered Ruby's house. There to greet them were none other than both of their families. Prof. Birch sat on the couch talking with Norman as both of their wives were engaged in an animated conversation as they were cooking the meal they were bound to eat in a few minutes. Ruby gave a small sigh of relief. He still felt as if the world might end any minute and that all of his loved ones were in danger. The meteor had been destroyed for two days but the feeling still wouldn't leave him. Constantly seeing Sapphire and now their parents made him feel more at ease about it. Ruby's mom spotted them as they walked in and ran over to the two.

"Oh, how are my favorite heroes?" she said as she gave a death hug to the boy.

"Mom... can't breathe..." Ruby tried fighting off the parental worry that his mom had had pent up over the last week, but to no avail. Sapphire began to chortle and laugh.

"Don't think you can get off so easy young lady!" Prof. Birch said as he approached Sapphire to give her a big hug as well. Turns out they both got to take turns being asphyxiated. Ruby quickly adjusted his hat and sat down at the table with Sapphire sitting down next to him.

The questions that were surely to follow them returning home were expected. The two recounted the tale of them learning to use the mega stones. Of how they had worked with the Devon corporation to try and stop the meteorite and how that had failed. Of how they had come to learn of Rayquaza's mega evolution and even their trip into space. The room was filled with laughter, shook, and smiles as they recounted their tales. Food was served soon after and they began to eat. Halfway through their meal, Sapphire noticed that the boy was only picking at his food and looked less expressive than usual. The girls mind began to go into overdrive as she could only imagine what he was thinking about. Did he really want to go to the contest after party after all? She knew that Ruby was very much into the theatrics of the contests and would greatly enjoy those things. Was it because she was there? Did he not enjoy spending time together at home? The thoughts ate away at her mind, and she made a mental note to try and ask him about it later.

Soon the sun began to set. They two said goodbyes to their parents as they prepared to head back to their secret base.

"Let's get goin' Pilo!" Sapphire hopped back on the Tropius as Ruby followed behind her. The pokemon let out a roar and soon they were up in the air again. Sapphire chuckled. It sure was funny how much they had been flying over the last week. It'll probably be nice to take a day and just keep both of her feet on the ground. As they flew towards Meteor Falls, the girl felt a weight on her shoulder. Ruby had placed his head on her shoulder and fallen asleep, with a content smile. Sapphire smiled as she recalled what the doctor had told Ruby the day before. The boy had taken a Salamance dragon pulse directly to the face and had not recovered from it completely. The doctor had told Ruby to get lots of rest as his body will need it to get back up to snuff, however with the contest being the next day, there was little chance of that happening. Now it seemed that all of the work they had done in the contest had caught up to the Charmer and it showed.

"We'll be there soon Ruby" Sapphire said as they sped off in the darkening sky.

…

Pilo touched down as the moon began to rise over the horizon. Sapphire lightly tapped Ruby's forehead.

"Huh?" The boy quickly sat up looking dazed. "What?"

"We're here prissy boy" She said as she hoped off of the pokemon. Ruby yawned and followed suit. As they approached the entrance Sapphire decided to tease a bit herself. "Wish you wouldn't have drooled all over my shoulder though." Ruby stiffened.

"What!? I do not drool," the boy said as he quickly rubbed his hand across his mouth just in case.

"It's fine Ruby, lots a people do it!" She laughed as he looked dejected, signaling her as the victor in this interaction. She heard him mutter something along the lines of cave woman under his breath but didn't decide to push it. They stepped in to their base and turned on the lights. It was clear they hadn't been here in a while since there was dust over all of the furniture. Ruby moaned as he looked at his workstation. It was also covered in dust and some cobwebs. Clearly they had a lot of cleaning to do, and unfortunately, they would have to clean at least a little bit before they could relax in the space. So they got to work.

As Sapphire was dusting one of their dressers, she picked up the photo that was so neatly put inside of the frame it was sitting in. Looking at it, it was a picture of both of them in front of the Battle Frontier. Sapphire had a big smile on her face with her signature fangs on display and Ruby had one of his rare genuine smiles as he held onto his hat and was laughing. It brought back memories for the Champion and made her think back to the contest hall. She felt her own insecurities eating away at her mind once again. She thought about how a normal girl behaved. About how they would worry about their appearances. About how they loved superficial things like beauty and dainty hobbies. About how they would have bigger physical 'assets' and would strive to be bigger in that sense. Is that what Ruby really wanted? She wouldn't deny it to herself, she had fallen hard for the Contest expert and she worried about what he thought a lot. She wasn't like a normal girl and she while she never cared before, her chest was smaller than average. Thinking about if he cared about something like that made her be aware of it and it hurt to think like that. Suddenly her thoughts were interrupted by said boy.

"Hey Sapph? The pokenav says there is supposed to be a Meteor shower tonight! Since we couldn't go to that show, you wanna go outside and look at it?" He said from across the room.

"Meteor shower? Well what are we waitin' for? Let's get out there!" She went straight for the door and looked up at the sky. "Hey," she said. "I don't seen nothin' yet!" Ruby came out of the door laughing.

"That's cause it hasn't started yet. Let's find a high ground to watch." The girl nodded and sent out the Tropius once again. They flew up until they were on a hill on top of Meteor Falls, where they sat down against the hill and looked out across the star filled sky.

"When is it startin' then?" Sapphire asked, growing impatient.

"It should begin anytime in the next 15 minutes." The boy said as he laid down with his hands behind his hatted head and got comfortable. As the minutes passed, the thoughts the girl was having all day came back and she built up enough courage to ask her friend about it.

"Hey Ruby?" The silence was now broken. The boy in question looked over, his red eyes piercing in the darkness. He could tell she was concerned about something and he took initiative as he sat up.

"What's on your mind?" Sapphire bent her knees up to her face as she wrapped her arms around her legs. A position Ruby recognized as one that she would assume when she felt vulnerable.

"Did you really want to go to that party?" This confused the boy.

"Why would you ask that?" Sapphire's resolve was shaking.

"It just, I saw you lookin' at them girls leavin' to go to the party and you haven't really been yourself since we got back for dinner." The girl felt her eyes water as she tried to get to her point. "This is the first time we've done a contest together. I know I'm not the most 'beautiful' and I don't dress fancy but if ya didn't go because of me bein' there I just..." Her voice was starting to quiver. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry." She quickly buried her face into her legs, mortified of what she confessed to the Charmer. She hardly ever expressed her feelings and it took everything out of her to be honest with the boy.

Ruby sat there stunned. Where did all of this come from? He thought back to how she had refused to leave him alone towards the end of this week when they went to space. Sapphire had been left out of everything and it had been his fault for not including her. He felt awful about it and vowed to make it right when he finally figured out how to stop the meteorite. Thoughts of Mirage Island also crept back into his mind. The boy still hadn't been honest about that and it just seemed as if more and more mistakes against Sapphire was popping into his head. It's time to make it all right. Ruby scooted closer to her and put an arm around her shoulders, causing her to stiffen.

"Let me tell you something Sapph." She looked up at him with teary eyes. "Ever since we destroyed the meteorite, I've still been feeling as if the world would end at any moment. When I woke up in the cave where I met Diancie, it all hit me all at once. I didn't want to die. I wanted to continue living and doing what made me happy. Today that feeling persisted and you know what helped me with it? You did." The blue eyed girl looked surprised. "I was so relieved to see our parents and you in the same place because it reminded me that we are still alive and you are all still safe. I also think I overdid it at the contest with what the doctor told me and all," he chuckled.

"But ya looked at all of the girls leavin' for the party for so long," Sapphire said, sniffling.

"I was looking at the craftsmanship of the dresses, that's all. I'd much rather be spending my time with you." The girls eyes widened again. "It's also time that I be honest with you completely. I was foolish for pretending to forget, but I remember Mirage Island as clear as day. I think about it a lot actually and when I almost lost you several times this last week I just can't wait any longer." Sapphire didn't know how to react. He finally confirmed that he did remember their confession and her emotions were all over the place. She watched him reach down into his bag and pull out a box.

"I made this for you." He said and pulled out a deep blue scarf. Extending the scarf, he pulled out the end and showed it to her. It was embroidered and it had her name on it in a deep silver color. "I hope you like it because I think it's gonna look great." He said quietly as the Charmer began to wrap the scarf around the girls neck.

Sapphire was frozen in place, face on fire as she could only watch him do it. When he finished he pulled out another one, but this one was a deep red. "I made this one for me. Now we have a matching pair." He then began to wrap it around his neck. Once finished, the boy reached for one of Sapphires hands.

"Sapphire, I didn't know you felt that way about yourself, but I'll tell you now. You are the most beautiful girl I've ever met. My life is so much better because I met you. There is no one else I would rather spend my time with and that's the truth." He leaned in closer.

"I love you Sapph. I'm sorry I didn't say it sooner," She began to cry again, this time of joy. So long had she repressed her feelings. So long had she tried to make him remember what they confessed to each other, and to finally have her feelings returned was a feeling unlike any other. She sniffled as she responded.

"I... I love ya too,"

Ruby leaned in and they shared their first with each other, separating afterwards to feel each others hot breath as the skyline began to fill with shooting stars. They both laid down as Sapphire cuddled in close with him, watching the sky fill with lights. She would remember this night forever as this was the night were she found her complete happiness.


End file.
